Good afternoon, colleagues. In light of the tragic events that happened in our capital yesterday at the War Memorial at Parliament Hill, I would like to ask that we observe a moment of silence and reflect upon those who experienced loss and injury, particularly to the families and loved ones of Corporal Nathan Cirillo.

---Moment of Silence

Colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Mr. Jose Antonio Torres-Lacasa, Minister Counsellor in the political and public affairs section of the European Union to Canada. Mr. Torres-Lacasa has travelled here from the embassy in Ottawa. Welcome to the Northwest Territories.

---Applause

Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Ramsay.

Mr. Speaker, later today I will be tabling the Northwest Territories Coroner Service 2013 Annual Report. This report sets out some information on the history of the coroner’s service, the role and structure of the office and some information on their work in 2013. This report reminds us that in the Northwest Territories, we have a number of dedicated volunteers who are deeply committed to assisting those in their communities at times of tragedy. They work with circumstances and situations that most of us are unable or unwilling to face.

Coroners play a vital role in our justice system. They are at the forefront of investigations of deaths. Their jobs are stressful and difficult, as many of their investigations involve people that they knew within their home communities. They are all too often called out in the middle of the night to deal

with scenes that most of us could not face. They must have the strength to deal with the partners, children and parents who are now at the worst moments of their lives. Yet despite these profound challenges, they will tell you that they find their positions extremely rewarding, as they play an important role in helping to bring closure for most families and they help prevent tragedies in the future.

Mr. Speaker, each coroner has within their mandate the ability to conduct investigations into deaths when required and, based on what they learn, to make recommendations that will assist in preventing serious injuries or deaths from occurring in the future. They remind us to be safer and to critically re-examine our own practices. The role they play can never be understated.

Tomorrow we will see NWT coroners from 15 communities come together for the next three days to train. They will become familiar with the latest techniques and technologies in their field and have discussions with peers and professionals who best understand the work they do.

We have coroners who have been performing their duties for many years and are coming to a time when they are ready to pass their knowledge to others. Currently, we have openings in several communities, and we expect that in the near future there will be more. If you are aware of people in your communities who are inquisitive, courageous and community minded, and are looking for truly rewarding work, have them speak with their local coroner, or the chief coroner of the NWT located here in Yellowknife, to be part of a proud tradition.

For the coroners making the trip to learn and share over the next three days, we hope that they are able to be rejuvenated and return with new skills of value to their understanding and delivery of the services they provide. Most importantly, Mr. Speaker, I want to express gratitude on behalf of the people of the Northwest Territories for the thorough and professional jobs coroners do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, we are just over 16 months away from the next Arctic Winter Games being hosted in Nuuk, Greenland. As you know, there are six sports which Greenland is unable to host: dog mushing, gymnastics, curling, speed skating, figure skating and midget hockey. Today I am pleased to announce that Whitehorse, Yukon, has agreed to host an alternative multi-sport event, the Arctic X Games, to coincide with the 2016 Arctic Winter Games in Greenland.

Mr. Speaker, this is great news for our athletes and territorial sport organizations affected by the exclusion of some sports from the 2016 Arctic Winter Games. They now have an event to train for and compete in, which will ultimately contribute to further development within their sport.

For many of our athletes, the Arctic Winter Games is the pinnacle of their competitive career. For others, the Games provide an opportunity to use this as a stepping stone in their development. Many of our athletes continue on to the Canada Winter Games and some have even continued on to the international stage, including the Olympics.

Mr. Speaker, can you imagine Michael Gilday and Brendan Green not having participated in the Arctic Winter Games and how that may have affected their development as the athletes and the people they have become? The opportunities and experiences provided through their participation in the Arctic Winter Games certainly helped them to represent our territory and country at many national and international events, including the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.

Mr. Speaker, the 2016 Arctic Winter Games and the Arctic X Games will assist with the development of our athletes as the Northwest Territories prepares to host the 2018 Arctic Winter Games and send teams to both the 2015 and 2019 Canada Winter Games.

The department is committed to work with the territorial sport organizations and the Sport North Federation to prepare and send athletes to the Arctic Winter Games in Nuuk, Greenland, and the Arctic X Games in Whitehorse, Yukon, in March of 2016.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Government of the Yukon and their sport partners for committing to host the Arctic X Games and the permanent members of the Arctic Winter Games International Committee for their commitment to send their teams to these Games in Whitehorse. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sometimes they hear us on the other side of the House. Mr. Speaker, there was a concerted message from this side of the House that we needed to do something in the Northwest Territories about early childhood development. They heard us. They developed a plan within the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, but in doing so they have missed the mark and I’m going to tell you why.

Mr. Speaker, they have decided to implement Junior Kindergarten in communities where the ramifications and the fallout from it is actually going to have the opposite effect from what is desired. In communities like Hay River, we have long-standing institutions like the Hay River Cooperative Play School, the Head Start program on the Hay River Reserve, we have Treehouse, we have Growing Together and we have the French preschool. We also have some very good licenced day homes and child care services as well.

Early childhood development in the regional centres – and let me just speak for Hay River – was being very effectively addressed, but when the government comes along with their solution to the problem, there is no target. The targeted area, because they wanted to see better educational outcomes than what we have, should have been those communities, small communities mostly, who had nothing in their community for early childhood development. That’s where it should have been, but in their, I don’t know, enthusiasm to address this issue, to address the fallout of early childhood development, the fallout is actually going to be quite substantial.

Mr. Bouchard and I have met with the Hay River DEA. To add another class to our existing education system without any funding is going to erode the entire educational system from K to 12. It’s going to take away from that because we say we are going to have better outcomes by starting those little four-year-olds in Junior Kindergarten. I have a five-year-old granddaughter; Mr. Bouchard has a little guy who’s five years old; and I can tell you that those little gaffers come home from school, all-day kindergarten – we used to only have half-day kindergarten; now we have all-day kindergarten – and those little guys come home from school that they both just started and I tell you they are dead tired on their feet. Now we’re going to put little four-year-olds in all-day kindergarten.

I would like the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, before the rollout in the larger communities in the regional centres, to rethink what

they are doing by putting this load onto the DEAs and DECs without additional funding for the education system. I think it will be catastrophic. I think it will be devastating. You are going to gut the services that are already there, and please, please think this through. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

[Translation] …As a result, our children are eating convenient, ready-to-eat, highly salted, sugared and overly processed foods. The Northwest Territories has the second highest obesity rate in Canada. This has a potential to lead to a lifetime of multiple mental and physical health problems and increase our health care costs.

Canadians have less knowledge about choosing and preparing healthy foods for their families. In many cases children are arriving at school hungry and are unable to learn because they have not eaten a nutritious breakfast. Healthy food increases school attendance, improves academic performances and fosters school and community spirit.

Food First NWT is one of the leaders in nutrition education and it has developed a program for upper elementary students called Taste Makers. It teaches students about nutrition, food purchasing, food and kitchen safety and how to cook healthy foods. The goal is to build confidence, knowledge and skills for children to adopt a lifestyle of healthy eating.

Taste Makers was delivered in Northwest Territories schools in December 2013 and received good evaluations from educators and students. It has potential to be of immense value to students across the Northwest Territories.

Food First Foundation received a $50,000 Anti-Poverty Fund grant in 2014 in order to distribute and support Taste Makers in Northwest Territories schools. Over the next year, Food First will investigate logistics and cost to translate the program into French.

Mr. Speaker, this program provides the opportunity to give Taste Makers a wider scope. Food awareness and preparation is an essential skill for all of us. There is also potential for application of mathematics, science and biology from this program as students learn to buy, cook and eat the food.

Our continued multi-year financial and moral support to maintain and improve this program is critical for its success. It may take a decade to see concrete results, but it’s in the interest of our people and our government to make it work.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This week is Small Business Week, and Hay River being one of the communities that I think is strongest in business, I’d like to make some of the statements about some of the products and services.

One of the industries that is definitely needed in Hay River is the Hay River Fishery. We’ve talked about this in this House before. The Hay River Fishery and the Great Slave Lake Fishery needs assistance. We’ve been working with the Department of ITI to look towards opportunities in the future. We’ve been looking at infrastructure, but we need to continue to work on training for these types of individuals, getting more individuals into this industry. We need to train some of our local people and encourage people to become entrepreneurs.

We see almost weekly from some of the fishermen, they show us pictures of the Great Slave Lake. It’s dangerous work; it’s hard work; but it’s challenging work and it’s beneficial.

We know that some of this industry is changing in other provinces such as Alberta – we know recently Lake Athabasca closed down its fishery – and we’re looking to see what the opportunities are. Does that include fishers coming up here? Does that include being able to market our fish and sell our fish in Alberta?

We need to encourage fishery in this territory. We need to help the fishermen of the Northwest Territories and Great Slave Lake fishermen. Obviously, I encourage that we continue to support Hay River fishermen. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment recently tabled the Economic Opportunities Implementation Plan. Tourism is a key component of the plan to diversify and enhance economic opportunities throughout the NWT. The conference bureau initiative is among the programs ITI is funding through this strategy, and I wanted to highlight some of the opportunities that program creates for small communities in the NWT.

The conference bureau needs to look beyond the regional centres of Yellowknife, Inuvik or Fort Smith to see the amenities smaller places have to offer. The newly built Sandy Creek Lodge in the Deh Cho

riding is a good example of a facility that should be promoted through our Tourism Strategy.

Just beyond the Hay River Reserve at Sandy Creek, the K’atlodeeche First Nation has built the wilderness lodge in a place rich with history. The lodge seems remote, yet it is easily accessible by road from the town of Hay River. What better place to take newcomers to the region and residents alike?

The Long Spear People came to the area 7,000 years ago, and records show the Hay River Reserve first appears on a map in 1854. The Hudson’s Bay Company built a trading post there in 1868, followed by the Roman Catholic and Anglican missions and eventually a nursing station and a school by the turn of the century.

The site of the lodge was most recently used as a Pentecostal Mission Camp in the 1950s with a wooden church, cabins and cookhouse. Ken Norn, a member of the K’atlodeeche First Nation, who built the Sandy Creek Lodge, remembers visiting the area with his grandparents.

The Sandy Creek Lodge is a brand new building with modern comforts, designed to be a gathering place for the community, an educational facility, a conference venue for government and industry, and a wilderness retreat. It’s currently open for seasonal use, but it could be used all year round. It would only take short notice to go out there and fire up the generators and heat the building for a winter retreat.

The K’atlodeeche First Nation invested a lot of time, effort and resources into the development of the lodge. There are likely many other facilities like it across the NWT that need to be promoted through the conference bureau initiative. Many people coming to the NWT for the first time are intrigued by what it has to offer. Business travelers come to work but also want a comfortable way to experience something they would never find in cities in the South that can show them more than just a boardroom. What better introduction to the North than a visit to the Sandy Creek Lodge? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

[Translation] Mr. Chairman, the environment is important for each of us. We have to make responsible choices for our future. [Translation ends]

Mr. Speaker, I’ve been trying to make a concerted effort to learn a little French, and what I’m trying to tell everyone here today is that the environment is important to all of us. We have to make a responsible choice towards our future.

We all have an important role for promoting and developing and getting behind responsible development, but when our government says to the public it’s open for business, I’m cautious to wonder what type of industry they’re courting. Are they mindful of the future that they are inviting to the dance?

The public impression is that if the territorial regulator is the same Minister promoting the industry, how is that honestly fair? Often I’ve heard, and people have wondered: why isn’t the Minister of Environment not the territorial regulator? Some say the Minister of Industry snuggles up just too closely to industry; obviously, he’ll take their side. People wonder: does it really matter if he’s on the prime rib circuit; does that prejudice the future decision?

At the same time, some would wonder, if the Environment Minister was the regulator, would the Environment Minister be just too cautious to allow projects to proceed? That too would be fair criticism.

The point is it’s a challenging responsibility that every single one of us is involved in. We must be part of a responsible process that develops for our future generations. So while we make choices here today, we must be mindful we’re not making them for ourselves, we’re making them for down the road.

I support responsible development. I welcome the choices, but may all the choices be fully informed. We need all the information on the table. So, when my good friends in the Sahtu want to pursue their opportunities, their hopes, their dreams – and sometimes that may include fracking – we must be fully informed of the decisions that they’re making because we are making choices that will have effects in the future. But let us not forget, while this government pursues a fracking policy, that really is telling you they’ve decided fracking is okay, we’re just waiting for what type of fracking is okay. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we’ve heard already today and earlier this week, this is Small Business Week across Canada and in the NWT. A small business in Canada is defined as having from five to 100 employees. Today I want to specifically acknowledge Small Business Day this Saturday, October 25th .

Small business owners represent the best of the Canadian spirit. They’re entrepreneurs, innovators, job creators and an integral part of our communities, large and small. From coast to coast

to coast, Canadian small businesses help drive local economies and keep our communities strong. Small businesses with less than 50 employees, including businesses with no employees at all, represent almost 98 percent of the total business establishments in Canada. They are the heart of our economy.

Here in the NWT there are hundreds of hardworking small business owners. In my Frame Lake riding alone, there are, at last count, over 50 small businesses. To keep our small northern businesses as strong and going concerns, they need greater consideration from the GNWT and our procurement system.

We should be doing all we can to get GNWT contracts to our local/northern small businesses. But the system seems to work against that premise. Do we design RFPs, contracts and tenders with a view to make them easily filled by a northern small business? It often seems we do not. So if government can’t help our small businesses, we, as individuals, as northern consumers, can help our small businesses.

We can stop searching out products and buying them online. Instead, find a northern supplier. Search out local small businesses. Ask them to special order what you want or what you need. We must frequent and buy from our local small businesses to keep them thriving.

So, two days from now, on Saturday, you can show your support for NWT small businesses. Go shopping and shop small. Your neighbours and constituents will thank you for it. Thanks, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The NWT Recreation and Parks Association recognizes dedicated recreation professionals and volunteers in northern communities for their continuing efforts and achievements in promoting recreation and active living for all Northerners.

Well, I think it’s about time that this territory and this government recognize the NWT Recreation and Parks Association. We’ve got to recognize this great association for 25 years of excellent service in the Northwest Territories. I was fortunate enough to attend part of the conference that they had a couple of weeks ago, earlier this month, and celebrate with them their 25 year anniversary.

Over the 25 years, they’ve dedicated themselves to training residents and professionals and their development as well. They’ve been strong advocates for health, recreation and wellness not

only in the Northwest Territories but they do sit on national boards and bring the northern voice to these national boards.

Some of these trainings include things like the HIGH FIVE training, Elders in Motion, on-the-land programs, the NWT conference and awards aquatics, something that’s been brought up in the House many times to help develop lifesaving techniques in the cold water or when you’re just out in the canoe or out swimming.

I just wanted to highlight a few of their achievements over the past year. The NWTRPA had 40 training events in 16 communities. Of those training events, 473 people participated in the training. In the Walk to Tuk Challenge, over 1,600 people participated. In their Get Active events, over 6,000 people participated. They also developed four new Elders in Motion programs and eight on-the-land programs are also started. All these are for residents who are youth, to adults, to elders.

I just want to highlight one other thing with the NWT Rec and Parks Association. With their Walk to Tuk Challenge, the NWTRPA was selected as one of six Play Exchange finalists chosen from over 400 submissions in Canada to possibly gain up to a million dollars to launch that challenge nationwide. That will be…

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

As I mentioned, the RPA’s Walk to Tuk Challenge was selected as one of six Play Exchange finalists. It will be showcased on a national television show in January of 2015 where they will be eligible for up to $1 million to launch the Walk to Tuk Challenge nationwide. That shows some really great leadership not only in the NWT but in the nation.

I’d like the Members of this Legislative Assembly to join me in thanking the board of directors, the volunteers, the hardworking staff and members for their dedication to a healthy lifestyle, a healthy wellness for people of the NWT and the residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. An exciting movement is gaining momentum in Canada, growing from a seed planted right here in the Weledeh riding of Yellowknife. Weledeh and other territorial youth approached former Premier Stephen Kakfwi with a new vision for the relationship between Canada and First Nations, a chance to redefine the partnership between those

who settled here and those who welcomed them. This movement is called Canadians for a New Partnership.

Composed of exceptional leaders from across Canada, including former Prime Ministers and Premiers and obviously our own former Premier Kakfwi, national indigenous leaders, youth leaders, a former Supreme Court justice and one of Canada’s most respected auditors general, it is built on the principle that indigenous and other Canadians can together build a strong society and economy that will benefit present and future generations. It is a principle shared by a growing number of other Canadians from all walks of life, including churches, businesses, academia and the public service.

The overriding mission is to build a better and stronger Canada, and many are signing their name to a declaration pledging to do so.

Canadians for a New Partnership profess that the relationship between First Nations and mainstream Canada has reached a critical turning point. Efforts to improve the health, education and welfare of First Nations people are destined for the same failures of the past, unless we build this new partnership in a renewed spirit of trust and optimism. They believe that we must embrace the notion of partnership fully and place it at the very heart of our endeavors and not be deluded about past challenges nor deterred by present circumstances.

The movement is shepherded by the accumulated wisdom of respected leaders and driven by energetic, resourceful youth – intergenerational, cross-cultural and borderless. It bases its work on the nation-building principles recommended by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples: mutual recognition, mutual respect, mutual responsibility, and cooperation and sharing. Members, all volunteers, are committed to crafting a new level of trust between indigenous and non-indigenous Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this government’s support of these visionary Canadians and their efforts here and throughout Canada to press the reset button and begin building a new relationship based on trust and cooperation between all Canadians. Please join me in thanking them and wishing them the best of success. Mahsi.

Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too want to finish off this week with words of encouragement mostly to our small business people in the Northwest Territories, especially to the ones in the Sahtu region.

We have small business owners in Deline who guide people for world-class fishing. We have people in Tulita work in the business to serve the oil and gas sector of the government. We have business people in Colville Lake, where the best furs in Canada are trapped. These young trappers are business people. We also have business people in Fort Good Hope looking after the community through the housing initiatives. Certainly in Norman Wells we have 38 members who belong to the Norman Wells Chamber of Commerce. Just in the community of Tulita and Norman Wells, through the district structure, we have 39 registered business owners.

One of the biggest business contributors to the Sahtu region has been the oil and gas exploration stages, with $150 million invested into the Sahtu since 2011-12. That type of money had a lot of people thinking about what they can do for themselves.

Business people sometimes take a real hard kick in the face because the perception out there is they are just there for themselves. The business people are mom-and-dad shops, they are your brothers, your sisters, who go to work at six o’clock in the morning, Monday to Monday, weekends, they work hard, they pay the taxes, they contribute to the communities.

Even the oil companies, they have an obligation and they are working their best through our partnership, through the land claim. But even the oil companies, when we really need them, like Husky, when they were looking for that young girl in Tulita, Husky donated $16,000 for fuel for the community. Nobody else stepped up, not even our government.

Business is good if you do it well. I want to say to all the business people, keep your dreams alive. Think for the people, and that’s what our business people are doing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. The Fort Simpson Health Centre provides a range of health services to the residents of Nahendeh and the Deh Cho region. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the existing facility requires replacement to adequately provide these services. There is an engineering report by Public Works and Services that shows that this infrastructure is aging, has structural deficiencies and is over 30 years old.

Serious consideration for replacement was discussed by the Department of Health and Social Services. It was even unofficially slated to be replaced by a new facility…

---Technical difficulties

…means that it is classified as very important but is nowhere on the capital plan, even in the long term. The health centre staff and the residents of Nahendeh need answers. Where and when will this facility be built?

Quality health care services are being compromised by the lack of appropriate workspace with current health standards to deliver these services.

I urge the Minister of Health and Social Services to ensure that the Fort Simpson Health Centre replacement is funded and in the capital plan. The future health of our residents rests with the decision of this government.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. Item 4, reports of standing and special committees. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi Mr. Speaker. I’d like to welcome to our gallery, through you, Mr. Speaker, Meagan Wowk, ECE early childhood and kindergarten coordinator who is here with us today. Also, Dr. Magdalena Janus is also here with us.

She is the co-creator of the EDI program from the Offord Centre for Child Studies and is training the junior kindergarten teachers on how to use the Early Development Instrument.

There are also teachers that are here with us from each of the communities offering Junior Kindergarten, except from the South Slave DEC where all their JK teachers are already trained to use the EDI. The teachers who are here with us are as follows: first is Silene Hebert, Nancy Noseworthy, Wanda Quigg, Genive – aka “Genny” – Di Bernardo, Robin Hatfield, Matthew Baetz, Christal Doherty, Elise Decarie-Jean, Angela Young, Theresa Hartley, Jennifer Thompson, Georgina Emaghok, Julie Donahue, Jennifer Russell, Nora Sargent, Alanna Duffy, Sandra Ipana, Lafi Schuck, Teresite Rodnunsky, Clara Redvers, Alicia Camille, Arlene Cliff-Philips, Melanie Switzer, Christianne Bezanson, Emme Landry, Victoria Budgell and Crystal Cockney. Thank you for being here with us. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to use this opportunity to recognize a couple of hardworking Pages from Inuvik Twin Lakes. I’ve got Ms. Tyra Cockney-Goose, who’s sitting over there by the deputy Sergeant-at-Arms, and I’ve got Julienne Chipesia. She’s just on the other side of the glass there. I’d like to thank them and all the other Pages for all the work they do throughout our time in session.

I’d also like to recognize two residents of Inuvik. They are constituents of Boot Lake, but I got up first, so I get to recognize them. We have Ms. Angela Young and Sandra Ipana. Thank you very much. Welcome to the Assembly.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize today the chief coroner of the Northwest Territories, Ms. Cathy Menard. Also with Ms. Menard we have other coroners from Yellowknife, Garth Eggenberger, Wendy Eggenberger, Nicole Latour, Ruth McLean and Adelle Guigon. I’d like to say thank you very much for the hard work that you do in performing your duties as coroners here in the Northwest Territories.

I also want to recognize all the educators we have with us today in the gallery. Finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize Mr. Kevin Wallington for all the hard work he put in on developing the egg market here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Colleagues, before we go on today, I’d also like to recognize Ms. Nicole Latour, who is nominated to fill the office of the Chief Electoral Officer effective

November 1st . Welcome to the House, Ms. Latour.

Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to recognize the educators up behind me and the group of coroners who are here and welcome them to the House. I’d like to specifically mention Mr. Garth Eggenberger, a resident of Frame Lake, and if I’ve missed any other residents of Frame Lake, my apologies, and welcome.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a constituent, Mr. Kevin Wallington. As I spoke of small businesses, he is a small business operator, Polar Eggs. I’d also like to acknowledge a couple of other people in the gallery, Mr. Garth Eggenberger, a good friend, also a business owner; and former Hay River resident Nicole Latour. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d just like to recognize and welcome Ms. Angela Young and Sandra Ipana as well as all the other educators joining us today. Thank you for all the hard work in the communities. I’d also like to recognize Cathy Menard. I’ve had a lot of really good conversations with her since being in the job. As well, I’d like to recognize all the other coroners joining her here today. I’d just like to thank them for their dedication and their devotion to residents of the Northwest Territories. I’d also like to thank and recognize the Pages for all their hard work that they did for us Members this week. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was pleased to hear Ms. Nancy Noseworthy’s name mentioned. She’s a resident of Fort Simpson. Welcome to the gallery. I hope you’re enjoying yourself here this week. Mahsi cho. Great to see you.

I’d like to welcome my constituents George Amok and I’m bad with names for the other two people who came from Tuk. I’m sorry, but welcome to the House. Angela, it’s always good to see you here. Ms. Sandra Ipana too. When I was going to Grollier Hall in Inuvik, her and her husband, Roy, took really good care of us. I’ll always remember that. Thank you so much for being here today. Educators, thank you for doing what you’re doing for the youth of our territory. Thank you.

Item 7, acknowledgements. Item 8, oral questions. Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned, I have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Last year the communities that took on Junior Kindergarten received about $45,000 each to implement that. Why are the schools only getting $15,000 today? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. When we first initiated our discussion through the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative, the early learning was a priority as part of that discussion during that engagement. That’s how we came about delivering Junior Kindergarten in 23 of our small communities. What the Member is referring to is $15,000 in one-time funding for every classroom to purchase play-based programming, so we need some sort of equipment such as a new play base, developmentally appropriate JK equipment such as mats, water and sand tables and educational tools. But there are also other investments as well.

The proposed plan is $360,000 for necessary infrastructure that we need to do some of this infrastructure into the school system and others as well. Those are just some of the areas that we will continue to invest in for our communities. Mahsi.

I agree with the Minister that early childhood is needed. Many of the communities, as Mrs. Groenewegen mentioned, already do programming for the smaller children from three to five. In the smaller communities I can agree that these are needed. For example, in Tsiigehtchic, which was one of the pilot projects last year, we don’t have daycares or early childhood programming in the communities, and that’s where I believe that those communities should be implementing Junior Kindergarten.

Will the Minister ensure that his department re-evaluates this program in the coming year? Thank you.

Mahsi. I’m glad the Member raised the profile where 10 communities are without licenced early childhood programming. It is true; we’re providing options for the parents to have access to this different programming. There are also other programs such as Head Start and other early learning programming in our communities and in our schools.

At the same time, with any new programming, any new implementation or rolling out of various programs, there’s always a re-evaluation of our situation a year after, two years.

This is a three-year phased approach and every year, obviously, we will be re-evaluating our stance, pros and cons, what we’ve experienced, where we can improve in certain areas. Those are discussions that we will have with the school boards, the DECs and DEAs as well. Mahsi.

Thank you. I would like to ask the Minister what are the plans the department has for the impacts on other programming in the smaller communities. For example, in one of the communities they’re expected to lose approximately seven jobs in the coming year. Thank you.

Mahsi. Due to low enrollment in our school system, there’s potential for cutback in those school contributions based on enrollment, the low enrollment. But we are mindful of that and this Junior Kindergarten is optional based. It’s part-time or full-time; it’s at the discretion of the school boards to decide on. I’ve provided the flexibility to move forward on this. This is an area that also compromises and works with early programming as well.

We’ll continue to monitor and evaluate our programming that we’ve initiated this past August, late August, and then next year will be the second phase and then the third phase. So, we’ll keep monitoring and make some changes along the way as well. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Earlier I spoke about the need to replace the Fort Simpson Health Centre and the planning for that.

I’d like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services, given that the engineering report dictates that we need a replacement health centre facility, exactly what stages are the Department of Health and Social Services at with addressing this situation? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As mentioned yesterday during Committee of the Whole, we’re in the process of doing a planning study on that facility. We expect that to take another couple months, and from there that will help dictate how we move forward as far as

inserting this particular project in the capital planning process.

But I do agree with the Member; this is a facility that needs to be replaced, but we just need to figure out how it fits based on the planning study.

The Minister was with me in Fort Simpson in the springtime. The residents wanted to be involved in the planning study, so I just wanted to assure that the Minister has heard that, that part of the instructions of the planning study is to engage in the community, the mayor, the Village of Fort Simpson, the LKFN and the Metis local there. Engage the community and show exactly what type of facility we are building. Even as far as the floor plan, we want to see what’s in there. Thank you.

We are using a template design for the majority of the building and the functions and services that are provided, but I have committed to having our director of infrastructure go to the community, and we were actually hoping that he could get in there in the fall. It hasn’t worked out. We’ve had trouble scheduling with the community and the individuals who want to participate in those meetings. But based on conversations I did have with him yesterday, he is continuing to call the community, still trying to get in there. We’re really hoping that he can get in there before Christmas, hopefully in November, to meet with the community, share the information we have and get input from them on some of the peripheral design and things that the community would like to see in there as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Certainly the community must be engaged, because in other communities like Hay River and Providence, as they were constructing their health facility, there were some things overlooked, and something simple, more in the case of Fort Liard, was missed. Those things cannot be missed, especially that we’ve got a facility that will be there for the long term. So that’s part of the planning that community residents want to see the floor plan, and I think the Minister indicated in Committee of the Whole was a level B/C facility and we want to know exactly what that is.

As I indicated, I agree with the Member that it’s important for us to get in there and have those conversations, and obviously, input from the community and the region is critical and important. I could give an example of where that really benefited was actually in Fort Providence in the discussions with the community and the professionals in that community. It actually resulted in a holding room, a body – I hate the term – but, a body holding room, a morgue, of sorts, being included in that facility, which was something the community really wanted to see.

So, I agree that conversations are important. We’ll do that. When the staff member goes down to Fort Simpson, we’ll make sure that he brings an explanation as well as some general overviews of what a B/C facility is in the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Certainly the community is awaiting those engagements.

Just for clarity and comparison towards Fort Providence, was Fort Providence a level B/C facility as well?

The facility in Providence is a community-based facility, where the one in Fort Simpson is a slightly larger B/C facility. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In support of the business people in the Sahtu, I want to ask the Minister of ITI, given that we have we have a smorgasbord of business people in the Sahtu, some with the traditional economy, some with the wage economy, and in light of the slowdown of the oil and gas, because that’s been the economic driver for the past couple of years of committing and spending hundreds of millions of dollars in the Sahtu, has this department taken on the task of doing sort of a lessons learned from this type of activity, because we’re hoping that the companies will be coming back but also that the traditional economy is quite strong and we want to continue that.

Is there some type of synopsis, conference that maybe we can look at in the Sahtu that maybe we can get together as a region to talk about lessons learned in regards to doing business in the North?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe there is a conference that is being planned or coordinated in the region, and that’s something that we look forward to certainly supporting. The department does have a number of business supports in place for businesses not only in the Sahtu but around the territory. With the decline in activity in the area this coming winter, things are going to be difficult for some businesses; we understand that. We want to try to continue to work with businesses in the Sahtu to ensure that they have the support necessary to see themselves through what could be a difficult winter, and we will continue to do that. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, any type of business in the Northwest Territories, there are some very good, hardworking business people, and sometimes it makes it very difficult for them to thrive and have growth in the Northwest Territories. I talk about the various businesses such as here and around the outlying area where we had the outfitters business. Because of the decline of the caribou due to a number of factors related to the mining, to transportation, to hunting of bison, the outfitters came and asked the government to have a look at some kind of consideration to offset it because their business isn’t thriving anymore. That’s what I am looking at, some type of general consideration given by this government for businesses that do very well, and due to the unexpected, beyond our control, the oil companies do not come back, just as the outfitters in the Yellowknife area are asking for.

I think what the Member is getting to really highlights the work that went into the Economic Opportunities Strategy and the fact that as a government we have to diversify our economy, we have to have those business-type supports in all sectors of our economy. You’ll see through the EOS, we are looking at different aspects, agriculture, tourism, the fishing industry, just to name a few and that’s really… We have to be putting a focus on that because resource development in a lot of ways is cyclical, it is up and down, and we need to ensure that we have those supports in place for all sectors of our economy.

Between last year and this year we are putting close to $4 million, or just over $4 million into the EOS in the various recommendations contained in that report and in our implementation plan. So we’re hopeful that this is going to have an impact on businesses not only in the Sahtu but around the Northwest Territories in helping them get the leg up that they need to be successful. Thank you.

In dealing with the small business people in the Sahtu, there are figures here that I have that show the income support rates have fallen by 50 percent in Tulita in 2012 and 20 percent in Norman Wells. It’s because of these small business people that hire people in our communities to work because of the oil and gas exploration.

I want to ask the Minister, given these kinds of stats and figures that we have produced by the government, are there opportunities for the business people in the Sahtu so that they can continue to keep their businesses alive, sort of have it on the health respirator so that their business can stay alive other than to go bankrupt.

I know business people around the Northwest Territories are very smart when it comes to trying to make ends meet and survive what is a bit of a downturn. We’re not going

to see the millions and millions of dollars being spent in the Sahtu as we’ve seen in previous seasons gone past. That is taking a bit of a hiatus here, so we are going to need folks to ensure that they’re looking after that bottom line, they’re ensuring that they are going to be able to survive until the activity comes back, and it’s just not going to be the extent that it was last winter. Good businesses and good business people find a way to survive the downturns, and we’re hopeful that they will survive this downturn.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister mentioned about a planned conference in the Sahtu, and I would ask the Minister if he would make a commitment, depending on his time availability, to come into the Sahtu and speak to the people in the Sahtu for some level of assurance and confidence, working with the Sahtu people through these troubled times so that we can look forward to better times.

Would the Minister make a commitment, given his time availability, to come to the Sahtu to attend to us and work with us during the conference?

I just had a similar opportunity in the Deh Cho. I was down in Fort Simpson speaking to the Chamber of Commerce in Fort Simpson. Any opportunity I get to speak to business people, chamber of commerce across the Northwest Territories, whether it’s in Norman Wells or Hay River, Inuvik or Fort Simpson, I’ll be there. If there is a conference and my availably is there, I’ll be able to come and speak.

I still am very optimistic about the future in the central Mackenzie Valley and the Member’s riding about all the opportunity that is there, and I think some brighter days are ahead of us.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for Minister Lafferty, ECE. The Minister has often said that there are no complaints regarding the implementation of Junior Kindergarten in the Northwest Territories. In contrast to this, I am told that ECE staff are not allowed to take complaints about Junior Kindergarten and that there are indeed serious issues that need to be addressed and are looking for a responsible party. Issues raised by my colleague from Mackenzie Delta certainly seem to confirm this disconnect.

Does the Minister have a clear process for registering and responding to complaints or

concerns arising out of the rushed implementation of Junior Kindergarten in the 23 participating schools this fall with the threat of losing $15,000 if they didn’t do it this year?

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. What I said was that there are no major issues or complaints brought to our attention. With any rollout of various programs or projects in the communities, there is always room for improvement. Those are just some of the areas that come into play where teachers ask certain questions about the JK delivery or an avenue that they can turn to. There is ongoing communication dialogue between my department, DEAs and DECs and, also, working with various organizations that are currently delivering the Junior Kindergarten program. I’m a firm believer that there needs to be an open communication dialogue. If there is room for improvement, I would like to hear about it and how we can improve programming for the second phase and third phase and so forth.

I would suggest that these complaints go way beyond what the Minister is suggesting how we can improve the program. These are issues with the current implementation. We have seen the public consultative process design for the feedback on the devolution process. Basically, go to our website and send us a note.

What is the process in place for ECE to gather, catalogue and respond to complaints from early childhood education workers and the public about start-up and emerging problems with Junior Kindergarten in the NWT, or do we not have one?

Mahsi. When we first rolled out the JK a couple of months ago, we knew that there needs to be a response team. We did establish a Junior Kindergarten response team made up of regional representatives and also from ECE perspectives. So they are the ones who are giving us advice, suggestions and making some changes along the way. Not only that, from the general public, the professionals, the teachers, the parents, there is also a hotline within my department that we’ve established so we can hear the general public’s perspective on delivery of the Junior Kindergarten in the 23 communities, the regional perspective and, also, a Yellowknife three-phased approach. Mahsi.

Thank you. From what I hear anecdotally from constituents and those involved, there is a chill in the ranks of ECE surrounding any acknowledgements of difficulty with the implementation of this program, and this goes for the regions.

What direction has the Minister and his senior staff given to regional staff on procedures for dealing

with complaints about Junior Kindergarten from ECE workers and the public?

Mahsi. There are various avenues. As I stated, there is a hotline on the website and also on the phone and the response team that consists of the regional representatives from my Department of Education, Culture and Employment to bring any concerns, to bring any ideas on how to deliver this particular program. So any other forms of communication, there’s always, as I stated before, room for improvement, how we can best communicate to the parents, to the teachers, to the children that we are teaching. So we’re doing what we can to be transparent and be accountable for the best delivery of this program. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Certainly this doesn’t fit with what I’m hearing. In the real world, the introduction of a large, complex program such as JK would be expected to generate some complaints, both with a philosophy of the program’s mechanics of its implementation.

Does the Minister still insist that there have been zero complaints from the implementation of Junior Kindergarten across the NWT, with the exception of that raised by the Member from Mackenzie Delta, or if not, what are some of the complaints and how have they been dealt with? Mahsi.

Mahsi. As I stated, there is no major issue or complaint about the delivery of Junior Kindergarten in 23 of our smaller or remote communities. There’s been some questions here and there, more clarification from the teachers that are teaching our Junior Kindergarten. They are being trained.

So, as I stated before, there hasn’t been much of a major issue or complaint brought to my attention as Minister responsible. But with any issues or concerns that are brought forward by the teachers or the principals or the organizations, we follow up with them, and I can provide some of the detailed information that we’ve heard to the Members as well. Mahsi.

Thank you, Minister Lafferty. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member’s statement earlier today, I talked about a non-government organization doing really great work on behalf of the government for residents of the Northwest Territories. I’d like to ask the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs today, how does this government fund certain types

of sports organizations, such as the NWT Rec and Parks Association, Sport North, all these organizations that do really good work in promoting health and wellness in the Northwest Territories.

How is funding allocated to these sport organizations through this government? Thank you

Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The funding is distributed by the NWT Sport and Rec Council based on an application process. This is approved by the Minister. So that’s how all the organizations get their funding through the Sport and Rec Council. Thank you.

Thank you. Since it’s been an application-based request for funding, I know when we go through this budget process, whether it’s O and M, or the O and M budget especially, a lot of our departments will put in a forced growth aspect to the department’s getting their funding, but I’m not too sure if that happens at the NGO level, especially when we’re giving funding through the Sport and Rec Council.

I’d like to ask the Minister, is forced growth, such as increased wages, increased costs to travel to the communities, taken into consideration and is that affected into the year-to-year operations and budgets of these organizations. Thank you.

These organizations submit budgets and the funding is application-based. So we assume that they’re calculating their own forced growth as part of their application. Thank you.

I know that every year through the SRC, they have a certain amount of budgets. So they always look at if they won’t get the revenues that they usually do, then they’ll have to be looking at possibly cutting down programs or services in other areas.

Would the Minister or the department look at possibly subsidizing, should the revenues be lower, some of these programs so they can continue? Is that something the department has looked at, some type of subsidy moving forward, should revenues within the SRC not reach what they were in the previous year? Thank you.

A lot of the funding that we approve and the Sport and Rec Council distributes to the organizations is dependent on the lottery monies that we receive with all our terminals across the Northwest Territories. They’ll be made aware that if the lottery monies are down and our revenue is down, then that may affect their application. I’m sure many of them take into consideration the fact that our revenues are down and they may not get exactly what they got last

year. But we try to make every effort to ensure that all these programs are funded and that they’re able to deliver the programs to the folks on the front line. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government has done a lot of work in the area of prevention and promotion and health and wellness awareness.

Has the Department of MACA looked at partnering with other departments, such as ECE or Health and Social Services, to do a collaborative effort should some of these fundings be not as high as they used to be, but also having a more collaborative effort in terms of doing healthy eating, active living and putting them all together and that way they can share the ultimate benefit in terms of education awareness? Thank you.

Thank you. We are partners with ECE and Health and Social Services through the Healthy Choices initiative and some of the programs that we work with through the Active After School Program and we have a food program that’s pretty well fully subscribed to. I think just about every community and school in the Northwest Territories receives money, except one, through the Active After School Program. So we work with our colleagues over at ECE and Health and Social Services to try and access as much money as we can that we pass on to communities to deliver all the important programs that they run in small communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister responsible for the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission. I want to mention a couple of things to set the background here.

Our Occupational Health and Safety Regulations are over 22 years old and some four years ago, in September of 2010, the WSCC Safety Advisory Committee started to do revisions on these very outdated Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. These regulations govern workers everywhere in the NWT, and after a lot of work, an initial draft was completed and distributed for consultation and there was a huge outcry across the territory, particularly industry and especially the construction industry. So they had further consultations. They did, I think, two or three more drafts and then the Safety Advisory Committee determined that the regulations were complete and

they were sent to the Minister for approval. That was in January of 2012, literally years ago.

My first question to the Minister: What is the reason that we are still using 22-year-old regulations when we’ve had a new set of regulations ready for almost three years? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister responsible, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Yes, the Member is correct about the Safety Advisory Committee did some work in this area and it is almost 22 years that we haven’t made any changes. There have been several attempts to update this particular act, the regulations, but they were unsuccessful over the past nine years.

What’s happening now is that recommendations came forward and there should be more engagement, consultation with the general public, the industries and various organizations representative of industries, businesses, governments and unions. So that did occur and now the recommendations are within my office as well.

We just want to make sure that we cover all areas and listen to various parties. There have been pros and cons of these particular regulations. It’s part of a large document, quite a bit of change that is coming, so we just want to make sure that we cover all grounds. We’d like to sign off during the life of this Assembly. Mahsi.

Thanks to the Minister. He said that there were some attempts that were unsuccessful, but there was a very successful attempt and the Minister received the results of that successful attempt in January of 2012.

Last year, on February 26th , in 2013, in answer to

my questions in the House, the Minister advised me that the report was about to be reviewed by the WSCC Board of Governors, and that then the Minister and the Minister responsible for WSCC in Nunavut were going to look at the report, and there would then be some decision, from what I gathered.

I’d like to ask the Minister, what were the results of those meetings held almost two years ago. Thank you.

As I stated, with a large file such as this, we’re getting a lot of feedback from various parties and we’re followed up with those concerns or issues brought to our attention. There are some general ideas of where we should be focusing on.

All the great work that the Safety Advisory Committee recommended to my office, we are building on that, and again, we want to deliver that during the life of this Assembly, send out the final agreement and start implementing it. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, there was huge consultation done prior to 2012 when the Safety Advisory Committee had their draft out, their re-draft and their third re-draft. So I really don’t understand what the Minister expects to learn by consulting again.

Since January 2012 to now, October 2014, there’s been ample time to do the consultation that he’s referencing. There’s been ample time to talk to the people in the industry and to get their concerns and hear them and deal with them.

So I’d like to know from the Minister, what is he expecting to learn by now doing further consultation? Thank you.

We have done our consultation or engagement part of the process. We’re following through with what’s been brought to our attention, whether it be a recommendation from various organizations. Not everybody is in agreement or there are pros and cons of particular regulations coming forward, so we want to make sure that it is the right product. It’s a large document for the whole Northwest Territories and along with Nunavut; we still have to work with Nunavut on this particular piece of work. But then again, it will be delivered during the life of this Assembly and I’m willing to sign off before this term ends. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary. Ms. Bisaro.

Thanks, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Minister. I know it’s a large document; I’ve looked at it. I would like to know from the Minister, if he’s talking about consultation and he’s talking about making sure that everybody likes the document – there was huge debate the first time this came out – so who is the Minister going to be consulting with? Thank you.

The

recommendation is with me, as the Minister responsible, and there have been various discussions that took place for over a year, since 2011 until today, even the latest there has been some correspondence that came to my attention that I need to follow up. There are some legality and network issues that we need to deal with.

Again, it is a large file, so we want to have the best product for the whole Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Again, I have to emphasize that during the life of this Assembly, we will be delivering and signing off this document. Mahsi.

Thank you Mr. Lafferty. Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

I understand the conference bureau initiative is already underway. Can the Minister describe what the conference bureau hopes to achieve? Mahsi.

Thank you Mr. Nadli. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This was part of our Economic Opportunities Strategy. Stemming from that, it’s an office that is set up in the Northwest Territories Tourism Marketing Destination Market Agency here in the Northwest Territories. Its goal and purpose is to attract people and meetings to the Northwest Territories, and I understand they have had some early success in trying to attract meetings and conventions here to the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Can the Minister discuss any early results so far? He has indicated that they are tracking visitor information. Mahsi.

Thank you. I know they are in discussion with a large national organization on hosting a conference here next year in the Northwest Territories. Because we have a dedicated person in that position, as well, they are familiarizing themselves with services and opportunities around the Northwest Territories. It isn’t just a Yellowknife Convention Bureau it is a Northwest Territories Convention Bureau and if something fits in a community, if a community can host a convention or a group of business leaders or a meeting, certainly those things will be looked at. We believe very highly that this bureau is going to be very successful in attracting conventions and visitors to the Northwest Territories. Thank you.